Akal Takht Raises Objections to Punjab's Amended Anti-Sacrilege Law

The Sri Akal Takht Sahib has raised several objections to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, which is Punjab's anti-sacrilege law. The Akal Takht has argued that the law touches on matters that fall solely under Sikh religious authority. The law was passed by the Punjab assembly in April 2026.

The Akal Takht is the highest temporal, meaning worldly or political, seat of the Sikhs. It recently summoned all Sikh legislators and cabinet ministers of Punjab to explain their support for the law without properly consulting it, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) or other panthic bodies. The law has drawn attention for expanding the definition of sacrilege to include acts that "hurt sentiments".

Among the specific objections, the Akal Takht opposed replacing the traditional term "Bir", long used to refer to a physical copy of the Guru Granth Sahib, which the faithful regard as a living Guru. It argued that terminology relating to the Guru Granth Sahib must be decided by the Khalsa Panth and not by the government. It has demanded that the traditional terms be retained.

The issue reflects a wider constitutional and political question about the boundary between state law-making and religious self-governance. In India, religious denominations enjoy certain rights under Articles 25 to 28 of the Constitution, while the state also has the power to make laws on public order. Debates like this one show how those two areas can overlap.

For aspirants, the topic is relevant to polity and society. It connects to fundamental rights on freedom of religion, the relationship between religious institutions and the state, and state-society dynamics. The article presents the facts neutrally without taking any political side.